Visakhapatnam: Waltair Division pins hopes on new services

Visakhapatnam: Waltair Division officials pin hopes for special services as they sent a slew of proposals for the grant of new trains to various destinations from Visakhapatnam. Allocation for introducing special trains are expected to be announced in the budget session.

Officials have proposed the introduction of new trains and extension of some of them to Visakhapatnam.

Waltair Division sent a report to Railway Ministry in December last year on various requirements. One of the long-pending proposals is to introduce a train from Visakhapatnam to Varanasi-Allahabad. In the past, special trains were operated for Varanasi and Gaya.

In fact, the Ministry of Railways announced introduction of trains between Visakhapatnam and Varanasi. However, it is yet take wings.

Scores of passengers travel regularly from Visakhapatnam to Bangalore and Mysore. Due to the overwhelming demand for existing trains, another regular train has been proposed for the same route. This apart, another fresh proposal has been made for introduction of a train between Visakhapatnam - Vijayawada and Tirupati.

In the wake of the huge rush of passengers between Visakhapatnam and Saluru, daily train requirement was brought to the fore. The officials have also requested the Ministry to introduce a special train between Visakhapatnam and Guwahati to meet the increasing demand. In addition, a weekly train has been proposed between Visakhapatnam-Shalimar.

Proposals to increase services

The latest proposal sought to increase the number of trains running on special days and on weekly basis. Mainly Visakhapatnam-Secunderabad Durotho Express running only three days a week was proposed to make it regular.

Similarly, the Visakhapatnam-Nizamuddin Samata Express runs five days a week. But it was proposed to run on regular basis. Visakhapatnam-Shirdi Sai Nagar Express proposed to run at least five days a week. Weekly trains counting 10 to 15 that run via Visakhapatnam are also being proposed to run at least twice a week.

The demands for grants in Railways will come for discussion in Parliament on Wednesday. The details of allocations to various projects, zone-wise, will be made clear in the session.